By: Mark Wasik
Follow KSU Men's Basketball - X | Instagram
KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State second-year head coach Antoine Pettway has been named a finalist for the 2024-25 Ben Jobe Award, CollegeInsider.com announced this week. The award is presented annually to the top minority head coach in Division I basketball.
Pettway has guided the Owls to the second-most wins in school history this season, as KSU stands at 17-13 overall with one game left in the regular season. He has guided an Owl squad that was picked to finish in last place to its current top-half spot in the Conference USA standings at 9-8.
Under Pettway's coaching this season, the Owls have claimed some of the biggest wins in school history, including the first-ever win over a Top-25 team in a 79-77 victory over No. 24 Rutgers in Kennesaw on Nov. 24. The Owls have recorded a school-record eight wins over Top-150 NET teams this season, which includes the first-ever Quad 1 win in program history thanks to its most recent win, an 85-80 victory on the road at Liberty on Sunday on national TV.
In his two seasons at Kennesaw State, Pettway holds a career record of 32-29, which are the most total wins ever by a second-year head coach and he's the first-ever coach at KSU to hold a career winning percentage (.525). His first-ever full recruiting class for the Owls was ranked 40th in the nation, and is currently the fourth-highest scoring freshman class in the nation.
NEXT TIME OUT: KSU return to action on Saturday when it closes out the season at rival Jacksonville State in a 3 p.m. (ET) contest in a game that will be streamed live on ESPN+. That will be followed by the Conference USA Tournament, held this year in Huntsville, Ala., from March 11-15.
